Vehicle windshield



F. N'ICKOLA VEHICLE WINDSHIELD Aug. 8, 1939 Filed Jan. 15, 1938 gwvc/Mmi a 772s Niel o Za Patented Aug. 8, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEVEHICLE WINDSHIELD Faris Nickola, Flint, Mich.

Application January 15, 1938, Serial No. 185,236

1 Claim. (01. 296-8 1) This invention relates to improvements in Thewindshield embodying the present invenwindshields for motor vehicles andpertains partion is indicated as a whole by the numeral 4 and ticularlyto an improved windshield for use upon comprises the two frame portions5, each of closed vehicles, such as coupes or sedans or in which has theusual transparent panel 6 therein.

closed cabs of trucks. In accordance with the present invention, each 5i The present invention has for its primary obof the windshield framesor sections 5 has at its ject to provide an improved windshieldstructure top edge a hinge unit I which is here shown as which is soconstructed that adjustments may consisting of the two hinge sections 8,one of I be made which will facilitate ventilation of the which isattached to the frame, while the other 10 vehicle through the front partor windshield poris attached to the adjacent body portion, as 11- 10tion thereof. lustrated. Directly beneath each of the hinge Anotherobject of the invention is to provide units I, each frame has a hingeear 9 attached an improved motor vehicle Windshield structure theretowhich carries a pin II] which passes which is constructed in a novelmanner to facilithrough and is pivotally attached to the plate 15 tatethe driver or an occupant of the vehicle portion 3 of the instrumentpanel. The pins Ill 15 wiping the windshield where necessary without ofthe lower hinge ears 9 are in vertical alinehaving to get out of thevehicle. ment with the pins of the hinge units I so that the Stillanother object of the invention is to proframes 5 may oscillate onvertical axes and, as vide an improved windshield construction whichshown in Figure l, the axes for the frames are 2 may be adjusted in amanner to control the nearer the meeting edges of the frames thansteaming of the windshield so that this unthe outer edges thereof.

desirable condition need not be contended with Each of the pins! ID hassecured thereto one end by the vehicle driver, as is frequently the caseof an arm H which extends lengthwise of the when driving a closedvehicle in cold weather. adjacent frame toward the outer side thereofand The invention will be best understood from a is pivotally attachedat l2 to one end of a link 25 consideration of the following detaileddescriparm I3. The link arm I3 is slotted, as shown, tion taken inconnection with the accompanying and extends across the top of a post Mwhich redrawing forming part of this specification, with ceives at itsupper end the threaded shank the understanding, however, that theinvention portion of a wing screw I5 which passes through is notconfined to any strict conformity with the the slot of the link l3 andwhich, as will be 30 showing of the drawing but may be changed orreadily understood, is employed to secure the modified so long as suchchanges or modificalink in adjusted position relative to the post I4tions mark no material departure from the salient as the adjacent frame5 is shifted to opened or features of the invention as expressed in theclosed position.

appended claim. The frames or panels 5 of the structure as il- 35' Inthe drawinglustrated in Figure 1 are designed to swing in- Figure 1 is aview in elevation of the interior wardly at their meeting edges and,therefore, a

of a motor vehicle windshield constructed in weather stripping I6 isplaced about the inner accordance with the present invention, the partsside of the window opening in position to cover a of the shield beingmounted for oscillation on portion of t a p Of e frame 5 lying 40vertical axes. tween the carrying hinges therefor and the outer Figure 2is a section taken on the line 22 edge and the outside of the windowopening is of Figure 1. provided with a similar weather stripping I1Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 33 which covers a portion ofthat part of each frame of Figure 1. which lies between the supportinghinges and the 45 Figure 4 is an interior elevational view of a innerside or edge thereof. Thus, it will be seen modified form. of theinvention. that the frames 5 and the glass panels carried Referring nowmore particularly to the drawthereby may be oscillated to swing theouter sides ing, the numeral I, in Figure 1, generally desigof theframes forwardly and shift the meeting nates the front interior portionof the part of a sides of the frames inwardly. This operation is 50vehicle body surrounding the windshield, while facilitated by theprovision of a handle I8 upon the numeral 2 generally designates theinstrueach of the bars II. V ment panel, the top part of which extendsup- The usual windshield wiper mechanism may be wardly and forwardlyforming the relatively wide mounted upon each frame 5, as indicated atI9, portion 3. and in the form of the invention illustrated in 55 Figure1, the current supplying Wires may be run thereto through the frameworkof the machine and through the hinge pins of the hinge units 1, asindicated at 20, and then carried back through the frame 5 to the wipermechanism, as indicated in dotted lines.

Figure 4 illustrates a modified form of the invention wherein theportion of the vehicle body surrounding the windshield structure isindicated generally by the numeral 2i and each of the windshieldsections or panels is generally designated by the numeral 22, eachcomprising the frame 23 and the transparent pane 24 within the frame.

In this modified form of the invention the panels 22 are mounted uponthe inner and outer hinge units 25 and 26 respectively, these unitsbeing placed at the longitudinal centers of the panels so that thelatter may swing on horizontal axes instead of vertical axes as in theform illustrated in Figure 1. In this construction where the panelsswing horizontally, it is preferred that the lower sides thereof swingoutwardly or forwardly and, therefore, the lower half of the windowopening for each panel is provided upon its inner side with suitableinsulation stripping 26' which covers a portion of the lower half of theadjacent panel, whereas the upper half of each panel has its edge inabutting relation with similar stripping (not shown) which is placedupon the outer side of the vehicle body and around the upper half of thewindow opening in which the panels are mounted.

In the second form of the invention, the windshield wiper mechanism maybe mounted, as indicated at 2?, upon the top of each panel frame 23 andthe electric current conducting wires may be run through the vehiclebody and through a portion of the panel frames in a manner indicated bydotted lines, the wire passing from the fixed to the stationary partsthrough the centers of the outer hinges, as indicated at 28.

From the foregoing it will be readily apparent that with a vehiclewindshield constructed in accordance with the present invention, theoperator or an occupant of the vehicle may open the windshield in such amanner as to facilitate wiping off the outside surface thereof to removesnow or ice or to enable the driver to operate the machine without thenecessity of extending his head through the side window thereof as isnecessary in operating the usual types of motor vehicles in snowy orsleety weather when such vehicles are equipped with fixed Windshields.It is well known that although all vehicle Windshields are equipped withwipers to remove rain or light snow, such wipers frequently fail tooperate when wet snow is falling on the windshield or when thetemperature is below freezing, so that the snow or rain freezes upon thewindshield. It is then necessary for the operator to frequently stop andclean the windshield or it is necessary to provide some interior heatingmeans for the same which will keep the ice and snow from freezingthereon. With the present windshield construction, the operator of thevehicle can keep the windshield partly open so as to be able to see theroad ahead and, at the same time, may easily open the windshield to asufficient extent to enable him to keep the snow and ice wiped off.Also, by forming the windshield in the two oscillatable portions it ispossible to thoroughly ventilate the interior of the vehicle and toprevent a formation of moisture or mist on the inner surface of thetransparent panel.

In connection with the showing of the form of the invention illustratedin Figure 4, no mechanism has been shown for oscillating the panels butit will be readily understood that there may be built into theinstrument panel structure a suitable mechanical mechanism connectedwith the hinges of the panels to facilitate opening and closing of thepanels through the manipulation of a crank or other operating medium.Such devices form standard fixtures in motor vehicles for the operationof cowl ventilators and since the method of operating the window of thewindshield structure illustrated in this figure forms no part of theinvention, no illustration of such mechanism has been made.

I claim A windshield structure, comprising a frame enclosing atransparent panel, a pair of hinge units disposed at opposite sides ofsaid frame to facilitate swinging the same with respect to an encirclingstructure, one of said hinge units having an elongated pintle, a barsecured at one end to said pintle, a post mounted adjacent said frame, apin threadably secured vertically in said post, a longitudinally slottedbar having said pin slidably extended through the slot thereof, said barhaving pivotal connection at one end with the other end of thefirst-mentioned bar and a handle carried by said first-mentioned barbetween its point of connection with the pintle and its point ofconnection with the slotted bar, said firstmentioned bar extendingparallel with said frame and adapted when swung to turn the pintle andframe on said hinge units, said slotted bar extending away from a sideof the panel and being adapted to be secured in an adjusted positionwith respect to said post.

FARIS NICKOLA.

